Brussels, 23 June 2021/OACPS: H.E. Mr Serge Thierry Mickoto Chavagne, new ambassador of the Republic of Gabon in Belgium was introduced on 16 June 2021 at the 939th Session of the Committee of Ambassadors of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS).

H.E. Serge Thierry Mickoto Chavagne has had a distinguished career in banking and finance, having worked at the head of the Gabonese Strategic Investment Fund (FGIS), with the international firm of Ernst & Young, and with the Paribas group which later became BGFI Bank.

No stranger to Belgium, H.E. Chavagne obtained his diploma as a chartered accountant at the Institute of Chartered Accountants and Tax Consultants of Belgium.

In his maiden presentation to the Committee of Ambassadors, H.E. Chavagne thanked the Ambassadors of the Central African region for their welcome and support since he took office. He also expressed his appreciation to the authorities in Gabon, and the Head of State, H.E. President Ali Bongo Ondimba for the confidence placed in him for the assignment.

Referring to the new Partnership Agreement initialled between the OACPS and the EU in April, the new Ambassador urged that “faced with the challenges linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of this ambition requires us to be more innovative for more resilience”, emphasizing also, the need for greater efforts to achieve the well-being of the citizens of the OACPS and to respond to global challenges.

Ambassador Chavagne presented the new Transformation Acceleration Plan adopted by the Gabonese Republic to meet economic and social challenges in the post-COVID-19 context. The Plan, which prioritises investment, also includes several priority projects which will be implemented, including the acceleration of investments in the energy and water sectors, the structuring of investments in digital infrastructures and the digitisation of the Gabonese administration.